Did Taylor Swift sue Olivia Rodrigo?
10/20/25 5:25pm
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Not directly — Taylor Swift didn’t sue Olivia Rodrigo, but their teams did have to reach a legal agreement so that Taylor would receive royalties for the use of some of her tracks in "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" and "Déjà Vu".
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No, Taylor Swift did not sue Olivia Rodrigo. However, there was a public dispute over writing credits for Olivia’s song “Deja Vu.” The controversy started in April 2021, when Olivia, who had been a longtime fan of Taylor, mentioned that Taylor’s song “Cruel Summer” inspired the bridge to her own song “Deja Vu." At the time, Taylor and Olivia had a positive relationship, with the pair often posting about each other and even meeting in person.
However, by July 2021, Billboard reported that Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and St. Vincent had been added to the credits on Olivia’s song “Deja Vu” as co-writers. Since these three artists were the writers for Taylor’s song “Cruel Summer,” fans speculated that some drama must have occurred after Olivia revealed that she was inspired by the song.
When asked about the situation by Teen Vogue, Olivia said, “Writing songs about how I feel has always been easy and fun for me, and I think the business side of music has been something I've had a harder time learning…I think it's disappointing to see people take things out of context and discredit any young woman's work. But at the end of the day, I'm just really proud and happy to say that my job is being a songwriter…all music is inspired by each other.” Some fans have speculated that Olivia’s 2023 song “Vampire” is about Taylor, while others have speculated that Taylor’s 2024 song “Clara Bow” is about Olivia, but neither has publicly confirmed this.
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However, by July 2021, Billboard reported that Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and St. Vincent had been added to the credits on Olivia’s song “Deja Vu” as co-writers. Since these three artists were the writers for Taylor’s song “Cruel Summer,” fans speculated that some drama must have occurred after Olivia revealed that she was inspired by the song.
When asked about the situation by Teen Vogue, Olivia said, “Writing songs about how I feel has always been easy and fun for me, and I think the business side of music has been something I've had a harder time learning…I think it's disappointing to see people take things out of context and discredit any young woman's work. But at the end of the day, I'm just really proud and happy to say that my job is being a songwriter…all music is inspired by each other.” Some fans have speculated that Olivia’s 2023 song “Vampire” is about Taylor, while others have speculated that Taylor’s 2024 song “Clara Bow” is about Olivia, but neither has publicly confirmed this.
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